MVP of 2006 NLCS as member of Cardinals makes announcement official

MILWAUKEE -- Jeff Suppan, the right-hander who logged 140 Major League victories and was a postseason hero for the St. Louis Cardinals, announced his retirement on Thursday with an homage to his late mother.

Suppan made his announcement to Jon Heyman of MLB Network and CBS Sports at 5 p.m. ET, precisely six years after Kathleen Suppan passed away.

"After 17 Major League seasons, I've squeezed everything out of my ability," Suppan said. "I am both honored and blessed to have played the game with some of the greatest teammates and coaches. Baseball will always hold a special place in my heart and I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life."

He never made an All-Star team or garnered a vote in Cy Young Award balloting, but Suppan squeezed his ability for 417 regular-season starts, 31 relief appearances and 2,542 2/3 innings for the Red Sox, D-backs, Royals, Pirates, Cardinals, Brewers and Padres, doing his best work in the state of Missouri. He made 133 of his starts and threw 11 of his 16 complete games for the Royals from 1998-2002, then was 32-19 with a 3.86 ERA for the Cardinals from 2004-06.

The Cardinals made the postseason in all three of those seasons and Suppan was 3-3 with a 3.00 ERA in those series, earning 2006 National League Championship Series MVP honors on the way to winning a World Series ring.

The Brewers rewarded Suppan with a four-year contract the following winter, but he did not have the same success in Milwaukee, going 29-36 with a 5.08 ERA in 3 1/2 seasons before being released in the final year of the deal. He returned to St. Louis for the second half of 2010, then appeared for 2012 Padres in what would prove to be his final six Major League starts.

Suppan was born and raised in Southern California, and, along with his wife, Dana, operates Soup's Sports Grill in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brew Beat, and follow him on Twitter at @AdamMcCalvy. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.